Thoughtfetti

I have another new post over at Mainstream Green, with pictures and everything. You know you want to look...
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I had to call the public utilities folks this morning, take care of some business. The first option on the automated-phone-annoyance-system was to speak to a real, live, human-type customer service representative. City of I-ain't-sayin'-because-I-don't-publish-where-I-live, I salute you! Everyone else who has one of those systems? Take notes.

They were friendly and willing to work with me - score one for me!
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I had to call my son's insurance carrier this morning, take care of some business. After a few button pushes, I got a real! live! person! She asked me to rattle off about five-million numbers, then stopped me partway through because I was trying to be quiet and not wake anyone sleeping in Timbuktu, but she apparently is hearing impaired and needed me to speak up. Sigh. I repeated myself a little louder (sorry, Timbuktu, but you can always take a nap later) and when I was done reciting all the numbers in the correct sequence and stopped the bomb, thereby saving the world, she thanked me for being so well spoken.

Huh. I guess people don't often e-nun-ci-sate. Must make doing her job fun, especially in Redneck Central where we're also rather multi-national and therefore blessed with accents of all shapes, sizes, depths, thicknesses, and flavors.

Another string of numbers plus two name-spellings later, she told me I should be the voice for a phone system. I had to laugh - that's long been a weird little aspiration of mine.

She was helpful, informative, and polite. Score one for the state of Georgia and their Wellcare system (thank you for paying taxes and funding my child's health care), and two for me.
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I had to call my auto insurance agent this morning, take care of some business. Yep, it was that kind of morning.

A person answered. The phone. A person, not a computer or recording, actually answered the phone!

He was a pleasant sounding man. He worked with me to resolve my concern.

He was awesome. Helpful, polite, even slightly (but not offensively) jocular. I scored the customer service trifecta today. The world's coming to an end. Hold me.
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Someone and I have come up with the next food sensation. It's going to make our fortune.

Wanna know what it is?

OK, OK, stop begging!

A bacon, fried egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich made with - brace yourself - Krispy Kreme doughnuts for the bread. We may even batter it and deep fry it for that little extra kick to the arteries.

If I see this on the market before I get the franchise going, I'll know you sold me out.

And no, we haven't actually made or eaten one of these things. We may be crazy, but we aren't stupid.
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I can feel February creeping up on me. It's trying to all sly. "Who, me? I'm three weeks away, what're you talking about?" but I can feel it breathing down my neck.

I was born in February, which does nothing to recommend the month to me. My friend K was born in February, which somewhat redeems it.

My friend B dies on my birthday in 1997, which shoots it right into the toilet.

People die in February. Valentines day has always been a disappointment to me, and my birthday a non-issue.

It knows I don't like it, so it doesn't make any effort to be nice, and it's the month where I am most likely to crash (moodwise, not in the car) and crash hard.

I do like calling it "Feblueberry", though, so there's that.

I'm boycotting the first part of the month by letting my mother take me on a cruise. Generous of me, I know, to give up twelve days of moodiness, doldrums, and sheer misery for the Caribbean, twenty-four hour food, dancing waiters, expanding two pants sizes, and the opportunity to wander around islands exploring architecture, rain forests, and beaches...but I'll suck it up and go for her sake. I'm a giver like that.

Someone and the Evil Genius will be left home with a minder, a bowl of kibble, and some bottled water.
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I totally disregarded Mizz Suzy's advice on short blog posts. I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not.